The SpaceX Dragon capsule with the Axiom Mission 4 crew landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California at 11:31 a.m. Hungarian time on July 15, according to Magyar Nemzet.
All astronauts were allowed to leave the capsule after being checked on by a doctor, a mandatory requirement, even if all passengers indicated they were fine.
American commander Peggy Whitson left the capsule first, followed by Indian Shubhanshu Shukla and Polish Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and finally Hungarian Tibor Kapu.
During the broadcast of their return, NASA and HUNOR (Hungarian Astronaut Program) experts emphasized that the re-entry was a tightly controlled, multi-stage operation from atmospheric entry to parachute deployment. The capsule first separated from the service module and then decelerated in the atmosphere, creating a plasma plume.
Radio contact was lost during the most critical phase of atmospheric entry, then restored, by which time the main parachutes had deployed and the capsule had made a slow, safe splash into the water, the experts explained.
Rescue teams were already waiting in the pre-determined zone and quickly began extracting the astronauts. The crew will then travel from California to Houston, Texas, for further medical examination and rehabilitation.
The crew spent 18 days at the International Space Station where they conducted 60 scientific experiments.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó posted on X, “Welcome back on Earth, Tibor!”
Kapu is expected to return home to Hungary in early August.
PM Orbán had praised the Hungarian’s mission and especially his statement about seeking out his homeland upon reaching space, “I was looking for where Hungary is.”
In a conversation with the prime minister, Kapu recalled: “During that live check-in we were flying or orbiting over Hungary – which, if I remember correctly, showed in my speech, because I was quite emotional and not really prepared for those moments. So for months and years, I’ve been talking about what it will probably feel like and what feelings will probably come over me when I see the Carpathian Basin from above. Now I can proudly say that these are truly emotional moments.”
“In these past few weeks, Hungary has made its way back onto the map of space, and believe me, it’s clearly visible from up here,” Telex reported Kapu as saying in his last message from space.
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